Please Come Back, JC Chasez

His career as a solo artist was over before it had the chance to flourish, and that's our loss.

By
Britt Julious

Mar 28, 2018

Getty ImagesShondaland

Twenty years after *NSYNC’s debut self-titled album dropped in the United States, only one of the group’s members — Justin Timberlake — has found real success as a solo artist. And while 2018 has been less than kind to Timberlake’s latest, critically-maligned album, "Man of the Woods," the singer-songwriter still managed to nab a highly-coveted Super Bowl Halftime Show slot, proving that he won’t be disappearing from the public eye anytime soon. The same can’t be said for Timberlake’s former bandmates, who’ve all settled a couple of rungs lower on the pop culture ladder. And while his bandmates seem to have accepted their lot in life, to a pop fan and music critic, Timberlake’s ascension stings. Because that success belonged to JC Chasez.

The cover for Chasez’s "Schizophrenic."

Jive Records

Even Timberlake agrees that JC Chasez possessed *NSYNC’s best voice, and when the group first announced their hiatus in 2002, it seemed like Chasez had the most solo potential. But bad timing, a lack of cohesion, and a limited pop music market caused his burgeoning solo career to falter before it even had a chance to grow.

It’s a shame, because Chasez and his debut album, "Schizophrenic," exhibited an intelligent songwriting craft, far outpacing his contemporaries — and certainly his peers back in the aughts. Not merely reliant on tabloid fodder, or on outsourcing his sound to big name producers (like Timberlake), Chasez was an artist who seemingly cared more about pushing the limits of what makes good pop. And he succeeded.

In 2018, the idea of a boy band member going solo is fairly common place. Take Harry Styles’ unexpected — but ultimately successful — glam rock turn post-One Direction. Nowadays, an artist like Styles can find success in their own time and in their own desired genres of music. But the pop music market wasn’t always so forgiving. With hit artists like Robbie Williams of Take That, Bobby Brown of New Edition, and George Michael of Wham!, the '80s and '90s model only allowed one person to break out as a solo performer after initial group success. That same trend followed into the aughts: Although Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams have amassed success as featured vocalists, solo performers, and Broadway stars post-Destiny’s Child, neither of them have reached the legendary heights of Beyoncé.

In the case of Chasez, part of the problem was timing. *NSYNC went on hiatus in early 2002, but it took Chasez two years to release his debut album, "Schizophrenic," which came out in February 2004. In contrast, Timberlake jumped on the momentum of his songwriting credits from *NSYNC’s final studio album, "Celebrity" (which dropped in July of 2001), and released his debut album "Justified" in November 2002.

Co-written by Timberlake and The Neptunes, "Girlfriend," the last single from "Celebrity," felt like an unofficial introduction to Timberlake, the Solo Artist. That track was released in April 2002. By August, Timberlake was performing his "real" debut single, "Like I Love You," at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Still, it seemed like Chasez wasn’t too far behind. "Blowin’ Me Up (With Her Love)," Chasez’s debut solo track, dropped in December 2002 as part of the soundtrack for the film "Drumline." Released only a month after Timberlake’s debut album, it should have been followed up almost immediately with a solo record. But instead, Chasez waited — and didn’t begin work on "Schizophrenic" until after the single’s initial success. In pop music — where attention spans are short, and one-hit wonders are a dime-a-dozen — spending a year working on album is career annihilation.

This is our loss, because Chasez’s solo album was well worth the wait. While far from perfect, "Schizophrenic" showed the sort of promise rarely seen from post-pop stardom musicians. From the smart wordplay of "Some Girls (Dance With Women)" to the progressive, percussion-heavy production of "Blowing Me Up (With Her Love)," "Schizophrenic" was an original album from an artist’s artist. Chasez’s appreciation for a variety of different genres of music was on full display in the album’s production. In the first three tracks alone, Chasez bounces between sensual R&B, comforting pop-rock, and progressive rock. It didn’t sound like any other pop released in its era.

Of course, there are parts of the album that make one cringe in the light of 2018. The name "Schizophrenic" is unquestionably ableist, and Chasez is pictured on the cover in a straitjacket. But if we focus solely on the music, it is an achievement worthy of praise from pop purists.

Had it been 2018, Chasez likely could have done what he wanted. If his new music had too much label pushback, he could have released his tracks as a mixtape, like Charli XCX did. Or he could pull a Carly Rae Jepsen, abandon the mainstream route altogether, and revel in the warm embrace of the underground and indie music world. Perhaps he could go the Miguel route, moving away from the limits of his first genre (R&B for Miguel, pop for Chasez) and settle comfortably in commercial limbo, but creative fulfillment. Or maybe, if he’d built up enough goodwill over time, he would have been able to take complete control over his work like Frank Ocean and go it alone.

But his inability to settle on one sound, while it made "Schizophrenic" a fascinating listen, may have ultimately been Chasez’s downfall. It is easy to market a solo pop artist who conforms to one specific style and aesthetic. Timberlake was strictly R&B-tinged pop music. Chasez was far more complex to define.

In the aughts, mainstream record labels dominated pop music. Chasez’s musical experiments competed against good, albeit uniform, pop tracks by producers such as Timbaland (who worked with *NSYNC bandmate Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado), The Neptunes (who also worked with Britney Spears as well as Timberlake), and Max Martin (who worked with just about everyone). In contrast, Chasez was a primary producer on his solo record and received help from the likes of Basement Jaxx (the influential English electronic duo) and Dallas Austin, who most often worked with British pop stars or American R&B acts like TLC, Boyz II Men, and Monica.

"You can have all the talent in the world, but if you don't give it a specific style, you give people too much room to compare you to everyone else," Timberlake told MTV, speaking about Chasez. "And I definitely saw that with the first record, ['Schizophrenic']."

Chasez eventually released a handful singles for his sophomore album, "The Story of Kate," in 2007 — three years after the release of "Schizophrenic." Timberlake reportedly worked with Chasez on the new album, but it ultimately never saw the light of day after Chasez broke ties with Jive Records (home of Britney Spears and Timberlake). Unsurprisingly, there was potential in this music, too: Aesthetically, the single "Until Yesterday" was unquestionably a success for Chasez. Chasez’s strong skill for graphic storytelling (this time, about a girlfriend who gets pregnant by another man) coupled with his perfect understanding of intricate melodies made the single one of the best pop tracks released in 2007.

After his failure to release a second solo record, Chasez moved behind the boards, writing and producing solo music for artists such as Girls Aloud, David Archuleta, Basement Jaxx, and even the Backstreet Boys. And the career redirection made sense. Chasez’s love of craft was evident throughout his debut record, but his solo career was ultimately cut short before he ever had a chance to shine. Perhaps that’s what Chasez wanted, preferring to stay in the background rather than trying to navigate the fickle world of the spotlight. But for pop music fans — for *NSYNC fans — the absence of his voice is still a great loss.

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